FDA Urges Manufacturers to Make Hand Sanitizer ‘Less Palatable,’ as Poisoning Reports Surge

The FDA on Monday called on hand sanitizer manufacturers to make the substance less palatable by adding denatured alcohol to them.

The headquarters of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is seen in Silver Spring, Maryland, on Nov. 4, 2009. Jason Reed/AP-File

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Monday called on hand sanitizer manufacturers to make the substance less palatable by adding denatured alcohol to them, after reports of poisonings surged last month across the United States.

In a bid to discourage people, particularly young children, from ingesting the liquid, the regulator advised manufactures to add denatured alcohol to hand sanitizers as it renders a bitter taste, making the liquid less appealing for consumption.